Digital Technology And The Political Determinants Of Health Inequities: Special Issue Introduction

This special issue introduction makes the case for analyzing the rise of digital health technologies within global public health within the framework of political determinants of health and identifying how digital technologies impact, both positively and negatively, inequities in health. This special issue brings together diverse perspectives from academics, policy makers, practitioners and activists from around the world, most of whom participated in a 2019 conference Political Origins of Health Inequities: Technology in the Digital Age. The contributions engage with empirical data and practical experiences from Africa (Ghana, Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa, Sierra Leone), Asia (India), Europe (Germany, Norway, the European Union), and North America (the United States and Canada). Taken together and individually, the six research articles, seven 'policy insight' commentaries and three 'practitioner commentaries' identify and critically interrogate the political dimensions that link digital technologies and health equity.